Marcus broke ranks last year to endorse McAuliffe in the governor's race. Republican operatives said he lobbied both sides looking for a job. After he sided with McAuliffe he got $140,000 in consulting work, campaign finance records show.

McAuliffe wanted to put him on Virginia's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which pays six-figures a year.

It's a plum political appointment, and Republican legislators cried foul. The appointment needs approval from both chambers of the General Assembly and though it narrowly passed the Democrat-controlled Senate this week, it got derailed in the House, which has a Republican majority.

A Republican-controlled committee took Marcus' name out of the appointments resolution Wednesday, then forwarded it along without him.

McAuliffe has repeatedly expressed disappointment to the opposition over Marcus' appointment, saying he is qualified for the position.

East Sea bill heads to governor

Legislation that would add a reference to the East Sea to Virginia textbooks won final passage Wednesday, and more bills are promised to tweak the state's history books.

Senate Bill 2 focuses on a long-standing argument between Korea and Japan: What to call the body of water between them.

Japan uses "Sea of Japan," as do many textbooks. Koreans prefer "East Sea," saying "Sea of Japan" harkens back to a time when Japanese soldiers occupied the Korean Peninsula.

The textbook change has been a priority for Korean Virginians for several years, and they turned out in large numbers again Wednesday to watch the House send the bill to Gov. Terry McAuliffe on an 82-16 vote.

Peninsula delegates voted for the bill, and McAuliffe has said he'll sign it into law despite complaints from the Japanese embassy and from Canon, a Japanese company with a major presence in Newport News.

One black legislator said Wednesday that she plans to follow this bill with other requests to rewrite textbooks with a more inclusive and accurate view of history. The state shouldn't "pick and choose whose history we will acurately portray," said Del. Jennifer L. McClellan, D-Richmond,

"Next year there will be more bills," she said. "I'm going to put one in."

This was one of the chief concerns for Senate Bill 2's critics: That the measure would open the floodgates and get the General Assembly into the business of writing textbooks.

Witness protection bill passes

Legislation that would expand identity protection to witnesses to a slew of drug crimes and violent felonies won final passage Wednesday and is headed to the governor for his signature.

Senate Bill 640 extends an existing ability for some witnesses to request that their address, telephone number, and place of work not be disclosed by authorities.

The Attorney General's Office requested the expansion, saying it would help in prosecuting various crimes. The existing protection is largely geared toward gang-related offenses.

"Those who provide testimony should be able to do so without fearing for their safety or their family's safety," Attorney General Mark Herring said in a news release Wednesday. "This is an important bill that will give more Virginians the protections they may need to feel comfortable testifying against a gang member, drug dealer or violent felon."

This bill passed both the House and Seante by a wide margin.

Move-over bill passes

Drivers would have to move over a little farther when passing a bicycle under legislation that gained final passage Wednesday.

Senate Bill 97 changes the passing distance for overtaking bicycles, electric bycycles, animal drawn vehicles and a handful of similar vehicles from two feet to three.

The bill passed the House Wednesday 72-27. It passed the Senate in January and heads now to the governor, who will decide whether to sign it into law.

Senate Bill 242 forbids colleges from selling student names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. State Sen. Jeffrey L. McWaters, R-Virginia Beach, sponsored the measure. He said he doesn't know of any colleges that have sold student information, and the bill is a pre-emptive effort. He said the state's colleges and universities are on board with the rule.

The bill cleared the House Wednesday, 90-4, and McWaters said he expects final passage in the Senate this week.